The invention relates to electronic message packet transmitters, such as for transmitting a packet of electronic data signals onto a communication network.
In a packet-switched communication network, a path from a message source to a message destination is generated in the network for each message packet being transmitted. Each segment of the communication path (connecting adjacent switches in the communication network) is opened by the transmission of the first data signal in the packet onto the segment. Each communication path segment is closed by the receipt of the last data signal in the packet by a device at the receiving end of the segment. When a segment of the communication path for a message packet is open, no other message can travel over that path segment.
When the message transmitter stalls after transmitting only a portion of the data signals in a message packet onto the communication network, the data signals on the network continue to travel through the network to the message destination, thereby opening additional communication path segments. However, since the last data signal in the packet has not yet been transmitted onto the communication network, none of the opened path segments are closed. Consequently, the number of path segments opened by the message packet can become large (for example, larger than the number of data signals in the message packet). Moreover, since the path segments opened by the message packet cannot be used by other messages, communication network utilization can be seriously degraded. In the worst case, a deadlock may arise between two or more partially transmitted messages, preventing their complete transmission.